ABSTRACT
Adult males sentenced to hard labour comprised the largest single category of prisoners. There were several other groups for whom the full rigours of the regime were inappropriate, or illegal, or who had special needs. One of the principal means by which it was intended to produce economies was the specialization of institutions, and female prisoners, thitherto distributed in small numbers throughout the country, were initially thought to be specially suitable for concentration. Drunkenness and other public order offences were the principal reasons that women found themselves in prison. This was particularly true of big cities and port towns. The women were disproportionately drawn from Scottish, Welsh and Irish immigrants, especially the last, and were considered to be especially troublesome. Laundry work certainly rendered a valuable service to the local prisons, since with a high turnover there was a constant demand for clean clothing.
